Robert Loves Race Bannon!

My first gay crush was Race Bannon!

Back as a 7-year old Midwesterner, I'd had passing crushes on male classmates and a few female cousins' boyfriends.

But at 9, I fell hard for Race Bannon, Jonny Quest's bodyguard.

He was tall, handsome like Rock Hudson, and prematurely grey or platinum blond. 

He had an advanced fashion sense, was a pilot, loved Jonny and pal Hadji, and kicked exotic bad-guy butt every week without sweating.

My dad was uncomfortable with my obvious affection for Race, and my little brother told everyone I loved him. Which was fodder for neighborhood bullies who already couldn't resist hassling me (even though we had the only real pool in the neighborhood at our house).

The show only lasted 2 years, just long enough to have my first real-life experience at age 11.


I dated a few Race Bannons over the years (letdowns), and when living in India, a few Hadjis too. Today I'm in my mid-50's and married to the best guy on Earth.

But Race (we remain on a first name basis) will always be my first "famous gay" crush.

Robert - Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
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Justin Loves Leonardo DiCaprio!

My first gay crush was on Jack Dawson
(aka actor Leonardo DiCaprio).

I first saw "Titanic" when I was 6, in the mid 90's with my sister and aunt.

The movie was captivating for me. And even though I was so young, I still understood the gravity of Jack and Rose's love for each other. Also, I was wickedly jealous of Rose.

At first I wasn't sexually attracted to him (I was 6 for God's sake), but when I saw Jack frozen in the water with Rose trying to wake him up, I started bawling my eyes out.

I thought it was a real story, and I was watching an actor die filming it. My aunt tried to console me by telling me it was just a movie, but it didn't help me sleep at night.

I remember having dreams of me falling through the water and flying through the sunken Titanic. I would meet Jack by the clock, and we would embrace and kiss while everyone around us applauded.

I still have a crush on Leo today. But the Jack Dawson that stole my 6-year old heart has to rest in peace. That is, until I have the occasional dream taking me on another journey down to that amazing ship.

Justin - Steilacoom, WA
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Steven Loves Brian Kelly!

My two gay crushes were on TV shows in the 1960's.

My first real gay crush when I was around 11, was actor Brian Kelly. 

He played the dad on "Flipper."

He was always shiny and sweaty, or in his swim trunks and scuba gear. 

His character as a strong, strict, loving father was my ultimate fantasy.

And the other was actor Vince Edwards, who played "Dr. Ben Casey." 

I was fascinated by all the dark hair on his forearms, and sometimes getting to see his chest hairs peeking out of the top of his shirt.

To this day, I am still attracted to dark Irish or Italian looking men.

Even as I look at these pictures now, they are mighty fine!

Steven - NYC, NY
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Rachael Loves Starfire!

My first gay crush was both Starfire (voiced by Hynden Walch) and Raven (voiced by Tara Strong) from Cartoon Network's "Teen Titans."

I loved Starfire's naive unfamiliarity with Planet Earth, and Raven's witty, cynical nature. I was very enamored by their fantastic superpowers and, of course, perfect, animated bodies.

I didn't know at the time that what I was experiencing was my first gay crushes(who did?), but the two of them turned out to be the model for the women I like today.

I even tried to make myself a Raven costume, which just ended up being a lot of purple fabric scraps. My mom thought that was the cutest thing ever. But she's still unaware of just how deep my "hero worship" - pun intended - truly went.

Rachael - Kentucky
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com

Luke Loves Wil Wheaton!

My first gay crush was on Wil Wheaton as
Wesley Crusher from "Star Trek: The Next Generation."

I was 9 or 10 when I first saw him back in the early 90's. I didn't quite know what I was feeling, but I sure loved Wesley Crusher.

He was a pre-teen sexual icon for a whole generation of nerds, and was everything
I identified with. He was smart, and that made him an outcast (like me).

It's also what made him special, and I relished the idea of getting the praise he got for it. That was important for a non-athletic kid (like me).

I didn't understand it at the time - and definitely wasn't allowed to talk about it - but I was crazy hot for him. I spent painstaking hours trying to comb my hair just like his! I lived out my crush vicariously through my sister, secretly jealous of her ability to fawn and gush over Wesley Crusher like I wanted to.

And he got to kiss Ashley Judd, so he was kind of a player! I remain a fan of Wil to this day.

Luke - San Francisco, CA
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Inspired by the "Born This Way Blog" - BornThisWayBlog.com